The top dozen have power output in the 10s of MW, this falls to less than 10 by the 40th and less than 1 MW by the bottom of the list. Assuming the extra 800 are on average 0.5 MW (probably hugely optimistic!) they represent an extra 400 MW capacity, or 10% extra on the current 4000 MW._________________PowerSwitch on Facebook | The Oil Drum | Twitter | Blog

Agree entirely, trebing the number of installations wont anything like treble the power produced since almost all of the most suitable sites are already in use.

Every little helps though.
Where possible, the turbine and alternator should be sized at several times the capacity needed to utilise the available water.
40MW for the peak 6 hours daily is a lot more valuable than 10MW 24/7.

In all but the very smallest plants, remote control by the national grid would appear desireable, since hydroelectric plant starts very quickly, and can be shut down as quickly without waste or loss.
Hydroelectric plant is the best possible complement to intermitant wind or solar power.

(all the above presumes that the water is stored behind a dam to be utilised when needed. Some schemes divert part of the river flow via a turbine, without any storeage)_________________"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"